Barrett is almost four months and Blakely is three. Time goes by WAY TOO FAST! I am not going to apologize for not updating my blog, because honestly, I have enjoyed every second of my family these days. Blakely is being a wonderful big brother and I love watching these two interact with one another.
Barrett is growing like a weed. I think he weighs around 15 lbs? We go to the doctor for our 4 month check up on the 31st... We had to go to the doctor two weeks ago for our first double ear infection. It looks like we are on the same track for ear tubes, just like our big brother. Boo. hiss. I still see a lot of similarities with Blakely and Barrett at this age. Barrett loves to nurse just like his brother did, and often refuses the bottle on the weekends. I swear the kid has a crush on me.... he almost gets teary eyed when he smiles at me sometimes. So stinkin' sweet. Being a full- time working mom of two is hard sometimes, but so very rewarding at the same time. Raise your hand if you love to pump ! Just kidding on that part.
nicknames for Barrett: boo baby, pooh bear, tiny man, noodle poodle, budda bear, and my favorite, sugah bean. I don't know where I come up with these names, but Blakely had a similar but different list lol
WARNING: Major mom realness ahead....... Blakely refuses to poop in the potty. I am not stressing it either. I just feel bad for his teachers at school because he prefers to poop under the big rock slide on the playground instead of in the comfort of his own home. The beach this week should be interesting........
I am not worrying so much with Barrett like I did with B1 . I will start baby food when I want, He will roll over when he wants, and if he is not right on schedule every night, he will not melt into a puddle. I wish someone would have told me these things three years ago. First time moms are so hard on themselves and I was one of the worst! In some ways two is easier than one. I am learning to let the laundry sit and spend time outside with my husband and little people. For a busy lady, this is easier said than done.
What a joy this kiddo has been to our family! He is beginning to develop a sweet little personality and I SWEAR he smiled at me the other day, just shy of 4 weeks old! The struggles are different with B2 than B1.....breastfeeding challenges, mommy guilt and the juggling of two kids to name a few! I had to learn some of life's hard lessons while raising Blakely and Barrett is reaping all of the benefits. He gets to enjoy a calmer, more confident mom than Blakely did, that I know for sure! While having two is much different than having one, I wouldn't change a thing.
I am learning to let the mess be a mess, while my OCD still kicks in every now and then. Every southern lady knows she must not leave the house with an unmade bed ;P I have a little under four more weeks of maternity leave left and then I am back to work. I have to admit, I have missed our family routine and I am excited to get back into the swing of things. My husband has been a trooper with getting Blakely ready for school each day without me and I apologize for the days his outfit has not been on point. It's another thing I'm working on not being so concerned with.....when you have a cute kid, so what if his shoes don't match. Month 2 is sure to bring Barrett lots of firsts: first beach trip, first shots ( EEK ! ) and first day at "school ". B2 will be joining B1 at the same daycare where I know the ladies will love on him as much as they love my big one. Thankfully, Barrett isn't a bottle reject-er like his big brother! That is something else I have a peace about this go round! Boy was that hard three years ago.......excuse me three years ago? That's right, Blakely is almost three! Time goes by so quickly......I am certainly savoring all these baby snuggles, because in less God has another plan for our crew, B2 is our caboose.
Thank you too all of our friends and family that fed us these past few weeks.... pretty sure we would have starved without all of you.
Sunny rocked these birth pics...... here are a few favorites..........
That lip kills me!!
Barrett looked like he just had a bath when he came out! Crazy !!
This was right after our Doctor asked if he wanted to cut the cord...lol... which he did!
So for now, Barrett and I will continue to enjoy our one on one time together at home.... We do a lot of snuggling and sitting outside... It is wonderful.
and when big brother B gets home from school, he is quick to hug and kiss on his brother. He LOVES to help me get things for Barrett and always responds in a chipper "Of course!" when I ask him for something. It's too precious! He has also been telling me I look like a princess lately. This is equally adorable since a mom doesn't always feel fabulous with extra baby weight. Thank you Blakely for your kind words :)
Wednesday 4/22/2015: A day with Blakely
As a lot of you know I decided to spend the day with Blakely the day before induction. It was a wonderful day full of Pump it up and Chick-Fil-A with our little friend Kylie and her mom Michelle. The day was fun, but exhausting, mainly due to the giant belly I was still carrying around!!
By the time we got home, Blakely went down for a nap and I changed into some PJS to get some rest myself...... I started to feel uncomfortable to say the least. After a combination of nausea and what I thought might be contractions, I felt that I should call my Doctor and ask him if he thought I was in active labor. My doctor asked me to come in immediately to get checked and try to get to Montgomery in an hour before his office closed. Since Jason was not home yet, I had to wait what seemed like 100 hours for him to get there, so that we could head towards Dr. Williams' office. Mimi took over Blakely duty and we headed to Montgomery with flashers on. I became pretty emotional on the way to the Doctor's office.....a) I forgot 100 things I thought I had packed already ( of course! ) b) I started to feel a little better and felt as if I had jumped the gun on calling my doctor c) Blakely cried as Jason and I left. We were in such a rush to get out the door and my mommy guilt was sinking in..... I called my Doctor's office when we were 5 mins from the office and told him that we would be pulling in right on time. To my surprise, I was told that I should go ahead and head to the hospital and he would meet me over there. I then became really upset because I was nervous and scared that I would have to sit in triage for hours on end for monitoring, only to be sent home and have to come back tomorrow for my scheduled induction. If you know me well, you know I am a planner. My whole pregnancy was pretty uneventful and I was actually relieved that my water didn't break in the middle of the night because that would not be "planned". I think this last day was God telling me that he was in control and it was ok for me to put it all in his hands. I sobbed as Jason prayed over me in the parking lot of Baptist East and I wiped the tears as we entered into triage.
The pregnancy hormones were in full control at this point. Once we got checked into triage, Dr. Williams shortly arrived to check on me. I informed him that my labor like symptoms had subsided but that I still wasn't feeling "myself". Dr. Williams checked me and informed me that I was 3 cms dilated and fully thinned out. He stated that he wouldn't be surprised if my water was to break overnight and he would just keep me in labor and delivery instead of me making the almost hour drive home. He informed me that we would start the induction at 4am instead of 5am on Thursday 4/23/2015. Stephen and Mallory brought me my "final pre-labor meal" from Moe's and my friend Michelle brought Jason and I all the essentials that we left at home ( ie PHONE CHARGERS lol ), plus a dozed hot glazed Kristy Kreme Donuts!
Last Bump Pic- 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant
face-timing with Blakely
Our night nurse was named Rivers and she was just precious. Nothing happened overnight, but the Pitocin drip was started at 4:00 am just as Dr. Williams requested. I received my Epidural around 5:30 am before I felt any contractions. The epidural was much more uncomfortable than the last time, but I was also having contractions already with the last one, so it took my mind off the needles in my back. LOVELY! After the epidural kicked in, my lower half went completely numb, especially my right leg, which made me feel like a peg-legged pirate. Every thirty minutes or so it would fall off the bed and Jason would have to throw it back on lol. My best friend Sunny got there around 6:30 to take birth pics for us and it was so much fun just having her there for such an amazing experience. Dr. Williams came in to check on me around 7:30 and broke my water. I was around 4 cms dilated and at 0 station. Things moved very quick from this point! I got re-checked around 9:00 and was at 6 1/2 cms.... My day nurse, Kristi, said she would be back in about an hour and a half to check me again.... Sunny encouraged me to ask to get checked at 10:00 and tell them I was feeling "pressure" just to see where I was ... We laughed and guessed maybe a little change had happened, but never expected that when she checked me at 10:00 I would be ready to push! At 10:12 Dr. Willams came in and I sent the text message out to friends that it was baby time!! After two sets of pushes, Barrett arrived at 10:22 am! It was so much faster than with Barrett and Blakely was pretty quick!! I was so emotional after Barrett arrived. I think it was because he is my second child and I knew what was ahead. Babies are such a blessing and I was overwhelmed with thanks that God was giving us another one to take care of. A good friend of mine always reminds me that little people become big people and it is important that we remember that as we raise our children in a Godly manner.
He had this pitiful lip that poked out and he sounded like a little puppy dog when he cried!
7 lbs and 9 ozs - 19 1/4 inches long
We had a wonderful day full of family and friend's coming to visit...............
But I think this was our favorite visitor of all...........
The whole hospital experience was wonderful and I have learned in these last five days how different two babies can really be! Barrett is getting over a newborn rash and is peeling like a chameleon! I never experienced these things with Blakely, but it is nothing to worry about :)
Barrett went home in the blanket that his Papa John came home in.... so sweet......
We have been blessed with continued love and support these first few days at home. Blakely is adjusting well to his little brother, but doesn't quite understand why he has to leave to go to school everyday.... I am pretty sure he would rather stay at home with us, but it is important to Jason and I to keep him in his routine. We have had three nights at home so far.... night 1) pretty rough- lots of screaming for multiple hours....night 2) WONDERFUL! He liked to be swaddled and only woke up to eat! no crying! .....night 3) Confusing? didn't want the swaddle, only woke to be fed, but then only wanted to be held. I guess we need to keep up with the trial and error routine!!
lunch date with Charley after his first Dr. Appointment
I think George is adjusting well also! Jake is still at retriever training, but he will be back soon to meet his new brother :)
Barrett reminds me SO much of baby Blakely. Here is a link to Blakely's labor and delivery story. Thank you all for sharing this wonderful journey with us. I loved every second of being pregnant with both of my boys and it looks like Barrett might be the icing on our family cake! We are complete as a family of four :) It's very emotional for me because this whole experience has been incredible and I can't believe it went be so fast. I am glad I kept up with my weekly posts and cannot wait to make "Barrett's Story" into a book like I did for Blakely. Love to you all and I hope to try to post monthly for our family updates...... After all, I imagine it can only get even better from here :)
